Beckerman - fall/winter 2005
Cailianne, Samantha and Chloe Beckerman, globetrotters and alumni of New York’s prestigious Fashion Institute of Technology, used a bright Guatemalan palette to make their collection a livid addition to Canada’s fall line-up. Sculpted halter-tops with Y-shaped coded bars of colour are (if it’s possible to imagine) the tamer of the tops. Some less orthodox creations in spaghetti-collage disarray are festooned with Jackson Pollock splashes of hyper-colour and chaotically cut across the neck. Equally as extravagant are the tentacled bouclé knit dresses that look as cozy as they do outrageous.
The ‘worry dolls’ lining the fringe of one of these vermilion velvet dream-creations, occupy a special place in Guatemalan lore. You tell your worries to the doll at night, place it under your pillow, and wake up free of the troubles you whispered during your midnight confessional.
Of course, we are treated to more practical designs by this vixen trinity. Tart little A-line skirts hearken back to the sock-hops and soda fountains of the 50’s, while prissy mauve pants add to the choice of modern, irresistible separates. The collection is eerily balanced out by traditional knit tops but still asymmetrical enough to make them more the children of Beckerman outburst than indigenous Central American craft work.
If the Beckerman label succeeds in surprising us all again next year with a line of more-than-ready-to-wear for next spring, a powerful new voice will have been added to the chorus of Canadian designers who like to serve a little sugar with their grits.
Daniel Cox, Fashion Editor
Marek Wlazlo, Photographer
